LONDON: Four men who stole an 18-carat gold toilet from Blenheim Palace worth AS$6 million (RM28 million) were charged on Monday.
The toilet which is actually an artwork titled “America” was designed by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan and the artwork was actually meant to be a scathing critique of excessive wealth.
It was part of an art installation at Blenheim Palace, near the city of Oxford, before it vanished on the evening of September 2019.
The four men, ages 35 to 39 will face criminal charges for the theft, according to a statement released by the Crown Prosecution Service on Monday. The men are accused of breaking and entering and planning to transfer illegal property.
Seven people have actually been arrested over the heist, but no charges have been laid till Monday, four years after the 18-carat gold toilet was stolen.
Unfortunately despite the arrests, the gold artwork remains missing to-date.
Before it was stolen, guests visiting the exhibition could schedule a three-minute appointment to use the fully operational golden toilet.
On top of that, police claim that when the toilet was removed, the UNESCO World Heritage site suffered “significant damages and flooding” due to the toilet bowl being connected to the palace’s plumbing system.
The Thames Valley Police, who are looking into the theft, stated in 2021 that getting the toilet back would be a “challenge.”
Matthew Barber, the commissioner of police and crime, told the BBC. “It appears likely that someone has already managed to dispose of it in some way if you have that much gold.”
